Al Khor () is a coastal city in northeast Qatar, located north of the capital Doha. Considered one of Qatar's largest cities, it is the capital of the municipality of Al Khor and Al Thakhira. Dating back to the 18th century, it is one of Qatar's oldest settlements. The name of the city, meaning creek in Arabic, emerged because the original settlement was built on a creek. Until the mid-1900s, it was known as Khor Al Shaqiq.
Originally a fishing and pearling village, much of Al Khor's recent growth has been due to its proximity to Qatar's northern oil and natural gas fields and to Ras Laffan Industrial City. Along with the neighbouring Al Khor Community, it hosts a large number of oil workers. Al Khor Island, an important archaeological and tourist site, is northeast of the city. It was also the venue for the opening game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
History Initial settlement
According to oral tradition, Al Khor was first settled by members of the Al Muhannadi tribe in the mid-18th century, possibly around 1750, making it one of the oldest settlements in the country. Various versions of the story exist, but one version states that two nomadic Al Muhannadi tribesmen, Mohammed bin Baddah and Majid Al Shuqairi, had gone in search of their missing camels. While searching, they discovered a stream of fresh water in a depression underneath a high ground, later to be known as Ain Hleetan. Further exploration also unveiled a suitable docking platform on a shallow tidal creek, which led to the area being settled by the whole of the Al Muhannadi tribe after relocating from their home in Al Khuwayr in northeast Qatar. According to an alternative version of this story, the two cousins stumbled upon Al Khor after unsuccessfully chasing down a hare, rather than searching for their lost camels.
It was decided that the name of the town would be prefixed with khor, which is the Arabic translation of "creek"; but multiple names were used in the settlement's initial stages. The two most popular names were 'Khor Al Muhanadah', named after the founding tribe, and 'Khor Al Shaqiq', which is named after the incision in the wood used in constructing sailboats, a craft for which the settlement was well known. Of these two, 'Khor Al Shaqiq' was the more commonly used variant. Carsten Niebuhr, an 18th-century German explorer who visited the Arabian Peninsula, created one of the first maps to depict the settlements of Qatar in 1765 in which he denoted Adsjar, possibly referring to Al Khor.
Primarily a pearl diving and fishing village, the majority of activity took place during the summer when the pearling season was in full swing. During the winter, the nomadic tribesmen would rear livestock throughout the interior. The locals fetched their drinking water from a well known as Ain Al Jahsha, located about to the west of the settlement. Another closer-by water source, Ain Hleetan, was also used by the residents, and some even believed that water obtained from Ain Hleetan possessed medicinal properties, leading it to gain the moniker of "the doctor".
19th century In the 1820s, George Barnes Brucks carried out the first British survey of the Persian Gulf. He recorded the following notes about Al Khor, which he referred to as Khore Sheditch: "Khore Sheditch is a small boat harbour, to the southward of Ras Mut Buck, having from one and a half to two and a half fathoms water in it; its entrance is in lat. 25° 40' 10' N., long. 51° 34' 50' E. The point at the entrance of Khore Aegarah is in lat. 25° 43' 10" N., long. 51° 36' 40" E. The Khore is small, having only one fathom in it."
In the 19th century, several other tribes within the country began migrating to Khor Al Shaqiq as a result of its reputation and its well-known spring, Ain Hleetan. The two main tribes, Shahwan and Bani Hajer, soon intermarried with the Al Muhannadi tribe and formed new families, including the Al-Baddha, Al-Missned, Al-Hassan and Al Arbeed. Further migrants came from the Utub, Al Manasir, and Al Dawasir, as well as immigrants from Persia and Najd. As a result, Khor Al Shaqiq represented a wide range of cultures and ethnicities at the time. Around 1850, many of these tribes united to form the Al Muhannadi tribal confederation.
In 1871, the Ottoman Empire expanded its reach into Eastern Arabia. After establishing themselves on Al-Hasa coast, they advanced towards Qatar. Abdullah II Al-Sabah of Kuwait was sent to the town to secure a landing for the Ottoman troops, bringing with him four Ottoman flags for the most influential personages in Qatar. One of these flags was destined for Ali bin Abdul Aziz, the ruler of Khor Al Shaqiq.
For defensive purposes, in the 1890s Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani ordered all of Qatar's northernmost settlements, including Al Khuwayr and Ar Ru'ays, to be evacuated and its inhabitants moved to Al Bidda, Al Wakrah and Khor Al Shaqiq, leading to a considerable size increase for the village.
20th century
To protect both the coveted Ain Hleetan Well and the town's fledgling harbour, the villagers built the Al Khor Towers around 1900. Originally a collection of eight towers, only three survived throughout the ages. Multiple different families were tasked with maintaining and renovating each tower. Located next to these towers at the northern boundary of Al Khor was the Barahat Al-Jawhar, a cultural venue of unknown origins dating back to either the late 19th century or early 20th century. Holidays, cultural activities such as ardah performances, and wedding celebrations were held here due to the large amount of open space in this structure. It had arches on all sides, its façade had geometric patterns and it was built of a type of stone not naturally found in the region. Cannons belonging to the Ottoman garrison at Al Khor were found inside, suggesting it may have been built by the Ottomans for a defensive purpose.
During the 20th century, drinking water was obtained primarily from the Umm aş Şuwayyah area to the southwest of the village, as this well was renowned for its water's freshness. Women would fetch this water in pots and place them on the backs of donkeys to be transported back to the village. There were also several springs in the village, among them, Ain Sadd, Ain Salam, Ain Al-Dab, and Ain Masoud. Each spring was named after the individual responsible for excavating it. Furthermore, the village's basic water needs were met by three primary reservoirs: Al-Jalta Dam, a cement dam built inland in Al Egda, the Ain Al-Dab Dam built near the Al Khor Police Station on the coast, and the Roza Dam, built to the north near what is today Al Thakhira Road.
The village had an international presence during this period, with frequent trade missions taking place to the coast of Fars. Their relationship was so extensive that it was even incorrectly speculated by English diplomat Charles Belgrave that the Al Muhannadi originated from Iran. Goods that were brought back from trading missions would then be sold at one of the village's three primary souqs.
Captain Francis Prideaux, who was the British political resident in Bahrain, remarked in 1906 that, although Al Bidda was firmly under Al Thani-rule, the tribes of northern settlements, including Khor Al Shaqiq, did not pay tribute to the Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, nor did they consider themselves subjects of his.
It was remarked by the British political resident in Bahrain in 1939 that the Al Muhannadi in Al Khor had about 600 fighting men led by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Essa, and were closely tied to the Bani Hajer tribe. In 1950, anthropologist Henry Field visited Qatar, publishing his findings a year later. While there, he interviewed Mansur bin Khalil, a local sheikh, who informed him that the population of the Al Muhannadi in Al Khor was approximately 2,000 people. Some lived in tents while others resided in primitive stone dwellings.
Lorimer report J. G. Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf gives an account of Al Khor (referring to it as Khor Shaqiq) in 1908:
Modernisation
Modernisation in the town started in the 1940s and 1950s, after Qatar started reaping the benefits of its newly discovered oil fields. The first paved road connecting Al Khor to the capital Doha was constructed in the 1940s, and in the 1950s, the town constructed its first hospital. A primary school followed shortly after. The town also began to be referred to simply as 'Al Khor' rather than 'Khor Al Shaqiq'. At this time, most of Al Khor's houses, built out of stone, were located along the beachfront, being connected by a series of narrow alleyways. Many were two-story houses with cooling rooms on the top floor for summer months. In 1965, the city was integrated into Qatar's electrical grid.
In the early 1960s, pan-Arabism had established itself in the peninsula, and in 1963, the Qatar National Unity Front was created. The movement, which opposed royal privilege and advocated for increased workers rights, had a stronghold in Al Khor. One of its leaders belonged to the Al-Missned sub-tribe of the Al Muhannadi, and the group was popular with residents. In retaliation, a small number of high-ranking Al Thani members suggested bombing Al Khor, though this idea was dismissed. After the Qatari government cracked down on the group, in 1964 they banished many members of the Al Muhannadi to Kuwait, where they would remain for several months before returning to Qatar after mediation from the Saudi government. It was also stipulated that each tribe member was to pledge allegiance to the emir of Qatar, and those who refused would stay in exile.
In the late 1960s, Al Khor was among the northern Qatari towns designated to benefit from the initial phase of a state housing program. Completed in 1969, the program provided modern residences and basic utilities to local families as part of a national project to improve living standards.
In July 1972, the Al Khor Municipality was officially established with Al Khor as its seat. Following this decree, the government began large-scale development projects in the town, which included replacing all old housing units and establishing government office branches in the town. Residences on the shorefront were demolished, making way for modern housing built at higher elevations. Also in the early 1970s, Al Khor Health Center was inaugurated. By the 1980s, the primary and secondary road system for Al Khor was developed by the Ministry of Public Works. In 1983–84, Al Khor was included as part of a major project by the Ministry of Public Works valued at QAR 535 million to develop sewage infrastructure in major settlements outside of Doha.
21st century Due to the continuous expansion at Ras Laffan Industrial City, the number of facilities and services available in the town is rapidly increasing. In October 2015, Ashghal (Public Works Authority) revealed that it would be investing billions of Qatari riyals into developing infrastructure in Al Khor. Its plan includes the creation of additional hospitals and schools and the refurbishment of the road system.
Geography
Qatar's capital, Doha, is located to the south.
Al Khor overlooks a sheltered bay upon which Al Khor Island (also known as Purple Island and Jazirat Bin Ghanim) lies. The width of the bay ranges from . It is linked to the open sea by a channel with a width of roughly on its southern end. The area is home to extensive stands of mangroves, which cover an area of about 168 hectares off the coast.
Flora and fauna Al Khor is one of the main hawksbill sea turtle nesting sites in Qatar.